Mike Patrick argues that because trustee Tom Hamilton has values conflicting with PYP, he should not participate in the decision about the program? If Patrick applied the same standard to himself, he’d have been disqualified from running interference for IB/PYP over the past three years. Mr. Hamilton campaigned and was elected based on his values. Who elected Mike Patrick?

Patrick, long on record as unable to “see” IB/PYP as a socio-political values-driven program, falls back on the standard liberal attack approach of labeling those who disagree as “conspiracy theorists.” This despite IB/PYP’s agenda being stated clearly on their website, in their speeches, lesson plans, workshops and everywhere else in their own materials.

Mike, it was disingenuous to suggest hidden motives by the school board. (Who is the conspiracy theorist now?) Trustees Hamilton and Seymour ran against IB/PYP. The other trustees have said they would look carefully at IB/PYP, and that is being done. Why would consideration of IB/PYP’s stated agenda be off-limits?

IB was terminated for its poor enrollment, poorer performance, AND its values and divisiveness. IB and PYP carry the same values and divisiveness. PYP performance is also off. Hayden Meadows, once our top elementary school, is now our least performing magnet schools. Kinders and first-graders and get off to a fast start that slowly bleeds-off until their performance falls off in the fourth and fifth grades, after a PYP education.

Mike, the “Pitchforks and paranoia” you refer to apply to one side in this dispute. Why was there no mention in your editorial of the disgraceful blog postings and intimidation tactics of those supposedly open-minded, tolerant IB supporters?

This fight is about a program that has an indisputable agenda that takes away from learning time vs. those of us who do not want socio-political agendas in our schools. School should be neutral ground in the culture war of our time. So why are we the bad guys? Mike, you have failed to grasp the context of this dispute as a smaller but important battle in the larger socio-political culture war embroiling our nation. By the way, Chicago is full of IB/PYP schools. How well has that worked?

Hayden Meadows’ performance may still be close to the top in Idaho, but that’s not saying much, since Idaho is a mediocre education state. Every year wasted is a tragedy for the kids. Whether Mr. Patrick wants to admit it or not, there are performance-based reasons for terminating the program. Irrespective, if this program is to rise or fall based on its political ideology, I say so be it. Let’s restore agenda neutrality to Hayden Meadows and get back to learning instead of indoctrination.

DUNCAN KOLER

Hayden Lake